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VENICE
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Back to School Special Issue
• Venice Skills Center: Westside’s Best-Kept Secret • Learning Acting and Life Skills at The Playground • Megan Gallager’s Tips for Teens • AND MORE!
www.yovenice.com
August 2 – 15, 2019
Overnight Vehicle Dwelling Ban Renewed LA City Council reinstates Section 85.02 of municipal code By Sam Catanzaro It is again illegal to sleep in a car on the streets of Los Angeles. On Tuesday, July 30, LA City Council reinstated Section 85.02 of LA Municipal Code which prohibits individuals from using a vehicle for dwelling between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. on residential streets and any time within 500 feet of a park or a licensed school, pre-school or daycare facility. On July 1, City Council let the ban expire before they went to recess, unintentionally giving people living in their cars a grace period. At the City Council meeting Tuesday a heat-
ed public hearing took place on the issue, with an overwhelming number of people speaking out against renewing the ban. “We can sleep in ditches but we cannot sleep in our cars. There has to be a way that we can all work together. That there could be designated for the less fortunate to sleep in their cars while they get on their feet,” said Jose Garcia a veteran who was previously homeless for five years. “Not every homeless person is bad. And everybody deserves a second chance.” Peggy Lee Kennedy, a member of the Venice Justice Committee, worried that renewing the ban would harm individuals who have the least in society, “The City likes to think of itself as somehow doing this balancing act to protect the people that are housed by criminalizing and harming those who are not. That’s not a balance. You’re harming people that have the least amount among us,” Kennedy said. “Don’t just work
Photo: Courtesy.
A van owned by Venice “Vanlord” Gary Gallerie.
with private developers doing long term efforts and over-the-top bridge housing efforts, that are going to house ten percent or less of the people.”
Mary Anne Curtis of the End Homelessness LA Campaign took issue with the difference in
OVERNIGHT, see page 2
Bird Seeking 1/4 Billion Dollars From Investors Scooter giant seeking venture capital after posting $100 Million losses in first quarter By Sam Catanzaro Bird Inc, the Santa Monica-based company behind Bird scooters, reported significant financial losses during the first quarter of the year. Despite this decline in revenue the company, valued at being worth about $3.2 billion, continues to seek out venture capital investments aggressively by touting their new devices’ durability. As reported by The Information, Bird lost nearly $100 million in the first quarter of 2019 while revenue declined by over 62 percent from the previous quarter. In addition, in the spring the company said they were
Photo: Kai McNamee.
Despite losing $100 million in the first quarter of 2019, sources say Bird is hoping to raise $200-300 million in venture capital by the end of the summer.
down to around $100 million in cash despite raising over $700 million over nearly two years. In response to this loss of revenue, the company laid off five percent of its employees and paused service in 44 of its North American markets. Despite these losses, the company proj-
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ects robust growth and hopes to break even during the summer months thanks to their new scooters: the Bird One and the Bird Zero. These devices, which make up around 80 percent of the fleet, according to CEO Travis VanderZanden, are heavier and more durable than previous models which Bird hopes will woo investors. “In 2018, we introduced the industry’s first scooter designed and engineered specifically for the sharing market, Bird Zero. Resulting from the commercial-grade aspects of Bird Zero, it lasts over 10 months in the sharing environment on average and is now profitable due to its increased lifespan and battery capacity,” VanderZanden said. “Bird One builds on the benefits and learnings of Bird Zero and is forecasted to last in the sharing environment for well over a year.” Per The Information, Bird wants to raise $200-300 million in venture capital by the end of summer. As part of the pitch to investors, Bird touted stats relating to the new
scooters’ durability as a way the company hopes to cut down on operating costs. Bird is also looking to raise funds by selling a $1,299 device for personal use and allowing companies to rent out their devices for a cut of revenue. Information presented to investors provides insight into Bird’s revenue and operating costs. Looking at Bird One and Bird Zero usage data in two four-week periods from this spring and summer -- May 6 to June 2 and June 10 to July 7 -- the company made the case that they have become more efficient despite the loss of $100 million in the first quarter of 2019. During this period, gross revenue per ride ranged from $4.12 to $4.27, an over 10 percent increase from last year’s numbers, according to data reported by The Information. This increase in revenue is possibly due to the company’s hikes on ride rates from 15
BIRD, see page 6
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